2021 Toyota Camry vs 2022 MINI Cooper

The Toyota Camry has long been many new-car buyers’ default choice—but not because it’s interesting. Reliability and practicality have traditionally been the Camry’s strengths, not sportiness or style.

Toyota tried to change that for the 2018 model year, when the Camry was last redesigned. The current-generation Camry adopted more extroverted styling, and engineers tried to make the driving experience more exciting, too. While Toyota’s approach has changed, the Camry still competes against the same array of midsize sedans, including the Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Mazda 6, Nissan Altima, Subaru Legacy, and Volkswagen Passat.

Changes for the 2021 model year include subtle styling tweaks, new infotainment displays, an upgrade to the Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ (TSS 2.5+) package of driver aids, some changes to the dashboard trim, and the discontinuation of the Camry L trim level. That leaves the Camry LE as the new base trim level.

The Camry offers buyers more choices than many rivals, encompassing three powertrains (inline-four, V6, and hybrid), six trim levels (LE, XLE, SE, SE Nightshade Edition, XSE, and TRD), and the choice of front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD). Our test car was an AWD SE Nightshade Edition, positioned close to the middle of the lineup.

MINI characterizes its lineup as the “definitive” premium small cars in the United States market. Based on a BMW platform, equipped with BMW engines, and featuring BMW technology, MINIs can substantiate this claim through engineering. But it’s the range of choices and personalization options that make them unlike any other premium small cars.

Naturally, this is true of the refreshed 2022 MINI Convertible, which is available in Cooper, Cooper S, and John Cooper Works (JCW) specification and with Classic, Signature, or Iconic trim. Once you’ve made those decisions, you can select from a wide variety of colors, materials, wheels, packages, and options to make your MINI your own. Or you can choose a pre-packaged special edition like our Sidewalk Edition test car.